England have handed out over 1,200 debuts since their first game in November 1872 against Scotland. The majority of those debutants have proceeded to collect additional caps, but for some, it remains their sole appearance in a Three Lions shirt.
For some players, circumstances just don’t go their way, while others failed to grasp their opportunity and build a prolonged international career.
So, who are some of the players to have only played one match for England? Football FanCast has compiled a list of 12 notable one-cap wonders.
12 Patrick Bamford
Leeds United forward Patrick Bamford was awarded his one and only England cap in September 2021.
Having netted 17 Premier League goals the season prior, Gareth Southgate – who handed Bamford his England Under-21 debut in 2013 – opted to start the former Chelsea striker in a World Cup qualifier against Andorra.
His sole outing was pretty underwhelming, which is perhaps why it stands as his only to date, and with his side now in the Championship, getting back into the England squad appears unlikely.
11 Dean Henderson
Dean Henderson made his England debut in a 3-0 win over the Republic of Ireland back in November 2020. Whilst he didn’t play the whole 90, his 45-minute cameo was assured. Though, quite surprisingly, he hasn’t appeared in an England shirt since.
The 26-year-old shot-stopper completed a £20m move from Manchester United to Crystal Palace in the summer but is currently sidelined due to injury.
Injuries have been a recurring theme for Henderson and have certainly plagued his development, so he’ll be hoping for a consistent run of games leading up to the European Championship in Germany next summer.
However, displacing current England No 1 Jordan Pickford will be a tall order.
10 Harvey Barnes
October 2020 saw then-Leicester City winger Harvey Barnes handed his senior England debut after four caps in the under-21 setup.
Despite impressing for the east Midlanders thereafter, thus earning a £40m switch to Champions League outfit Newcastle United this summer, the 25-year-old hasn’t had a sniff and appears a long way from being in contention for a second cap.
And that notion was only amplified when he picked up a foot injury against Sheffield United last month, keeping him out of action for three months.
9 Nathaniel Chalobah
Well, this one certainly escaped us.
Nathaniel Chalobah did indeed represent the Three Lions at senior level. Many of you will be struggling to remember his sole outing, but you’d only need to cast your mind back to October 2018.
At the time, Chalobah was plying his trade in the Premier League with Watford and was a steady presence in midfield for the Hornets, thus prompting Southgate to call upon the former Chelsea youth product in a fixture against Spain, no less.
He came on as a substitute in added time, replacing Harry Winks, to play out the final minute of England’s 3-2 victory against La Roja.
Chalobah’s debut was 10 years in the making, as he made an astounding 97 caps at various underage levels. Though, with the midfielder now at West Brom in the Championship, a second cap seems far-fetched.
8 Lewis Cook
Lewis Cook, aged 21 at the time, made his sole England appearance in March 2018 against Italy in a 1-1 draw. The midfielder came off the bench and played out the final 20 minutes of the friendly.
Still only 26, he could yet pick up his second cap as he remains a crucial figure for Bournemouth, and seems to fit the profile of an England midfielder due to his ball-retention abilities.
Notwithstanding that, he’ll have the mammoth task of superseding Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice in the starting XI, amongst others, in order to do so.
7 David Nugent
David Nugent’s only outing in an England shirt is a pretty famous one.
At the time of his debut in March 2007, the forward was enjoying a prolific season in the Championship with Preston North End.
Steve McClaren opted to bring the 21-year-old off the bench for the final 11 minutes of England’s European Championship qualifier against Andorra and he found himself on the scoresheet.
However, not without controversy, as Nugent tapped home a Jermain Defoe strike that was seemingly trickling over the line.
Defoe appeared on Rio Ferdinand’s Vibe with Five podcast earlier this year, and the pair reminisced about the moment (via SPORTbible).
Ferdinand said: “We were playing, and it was like Andorra or someone away, and we bashed them up, I remember David Nugent – he [Defoe] shot and the ‘keeper saved it, it was just rolling slowly into the net, David Nugent come in and tapped it in!”
“And I remember him [Defoe] on the plane, he was going, ‘nah Ri, nah nah nah I’m pi***d, I’m pi***d’, because David Nugent was sitting and holding court laughing and laughing and buzzing about it, and he [Defoe] was going, ‘this man thinks it’s a joke!’
Defoe added: “And it’s his first England goal so people were making noise about it, but I thought, I’ve made the movement to get in, I’ve shot, snapshot, just got underneath the goalkeeper, I’m running away celebrating, he’s just come from nowhere – kicked in in the goal.”
Defoe would at least be able to argue he had the better career in England colours, as he proceeded to collect 57 caps, scoring 20 goals.
6 Dominic Solanke
Dominic Solanke’s England debut came in November 2017 during a friendly clash against Brazil.
The towering centre-forward came on as a substitute in the final 15 minutes of the goalless draw but hasn’t represented his nation since.
The Chelsea academy graduate mightn’t have to wait too long for a second cap if he continues performing for Bournemouth, where he has flourished since departing Liverpool in 2019.
60 goals and 28 assists across 184 appearances for the Cherries is a solid return and his performances on the south coast prompted West Ham to reportedly launch a £35-40m bid in the summer, though that move failed to materialise.
5 Jack Cork
Another England debutant who escapes our memory…
November 2017 saw Burnley’s Jack Cork make his senior debut at the age of 28, having represented his nation numerous times at youth level.
Cork played the final four minutes of England’s goalless draw against Germany – which is perhaps why we can’t remember the midfielder’s cameo.
It stands as his only appearance to date, and probably his last, with the Clarets skipper now entering the twilight of his career, aged 34.
4 Jay Rodríguez
Jay Rodríguez made his England debut in November 2013 under the stewardship of Roy Hodgson. His sole appearance ended in a 2-0 defeat to Chile.
Rodríguez was on the books of Southampton at the time and was tearing it up in the Premier League, netting 15 goals whilst laying on three assists that year.
Unfortunately, he suffered a cruciate ligament rupture towards the end of the campaign and never really returned to the same heights after that.
Notwithstanding that, the forward has been a great servant for West Bromwich Albion and Burnley following his Saints exit.
3 Matt Jarvis
During Matt Jarvis’ pomp, very few Premier League wingers had a better delivery than him.
Fabio Capello handed Jarvis his England debut in March 2011 in a friendly fixture against Ghana after impressing on the flank for Wolves. The call-up came as quite a surprise to fans, but he had been on the Italian’s radar for some time.
Jarvis proceeded to enjoy spells at West Ham United and Norwich City, amongst others, before retiring in 2021.
